Cheltenham 2025: Champion Hurdle Trends You Should Not Ignore
The Champion Hurdle is the feature race on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival and the 2025 renewal looks like it could be one of the races of the week.
Constitution Hill is back to try and regain his crown but he faces stern competition from State Man, Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth if betting sites are to be believed.
While many punters rely on trends to help them make their selections, it's important to focus on consistent stats which have stood the test of time.
In this article, we take a look at the top five trends you should not ignore for the 2025 Champion Hurdle.
Don't Discount The Mares
There have been fewer female winners in the Champion Hurdle, which has led to the mares getting a seven-pound allowance, which helps their chances of success.
However, with four mares winning in the past nine renewals, it's evident that mares can come out on top against their male counterparts.
Honeysuckle, Annie Power, and Epatante have all been successful in this race in recent years, and who is to say that either Brighterdaysahead or Lossiemouth won’t make it a seventh win for the mares?
Focus On The Six To Eight-Year-Olds
The Champion Hurdle favours horses aged between six and eight. Over the past decade, nine out of 10 winners have fallen within this age bracket.
In 2019, Espor d’Allen was the first five-year-old to win the race since Katchit in 2008, while Hurricane Fly was the first nine-year-old to win the race in 10 years when he regained his crown in 2013.
Older and younger horses can win the race, but it’s a rare occurrence, so it’s generally worth sticking to horses aged between six and eight in the Champion Hurdle.
Recent Performance Plays A Big Part
A recent victory leading up to the Cheltenham Festival is a significantly strong trend that Constitution Hill, Brighterdaysahead and State Man all tick.
Nine of the last 10 winners secured a victory in their prep race prior to the Champion Hurdle.
This shows the importance of entering the race in peak form, which does not bode well for Lossiemouth, who fell on her most recent run at Leopardstown.
Previous Grade One Victory A Must
In the past 12 renewals of the Champion Hurdle, 11 winners had already secured at least one previous Grade One victory before claiming the prestigious title.
This statistic shows the importance of top-level experience, as horses with prior success at the highest level tend to land the spoils at the Festival.
It also emphasises the dominance of established hurdlers, making previous Grade One form a major factor when analysing potential winners.
Winning Course Form A Big Positive
Cheltenham is a unique course, and horses that have won there before tend to return to the festival in March and repeat their successes.
Trends from the past 12 renewals show that course experience plays a significant role in winning at Cheltenham.
11 out of the last 12 winners had at least one previous run at the track, highlighting the importance of familiarity with its unique undulations and challenging stiff finish.
Eight of those 12 winners had already secured at least one victory at Cheltenham, this is a stat that Brighterdaysahead (5/1 with betting apps) fans won’t like to see as she has only raced at Cheltenham once and failed to win.
